Crate



, F. e. KRUEGER ET AL- CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 5, 1951 m mv U gig 2mm. W J

mu m ATTORNE Y.

y. 12, 1936. F. G. KRUEGER ET AL CRATE Filed Sept. 3, 1931 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lz fiqq OE O/XV/Z B25 '10 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES CRATE Fred G. Krueger, Norwood, and Harold S. Lion, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The United Milk Crate Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 3, 1931, Serial No. 561,022

12 Claims. (01. 21720) Our invention relates especially to milk crates and particularly to the bottom slats thereof, at the ends or around all four sides thereof. It has more general application to crates for analogous purposes.

It is the particular object of our invention to provide a bottom slat construction of wood, metal and reinforcement, which eliminates many disadvantages of previous milk crates. In the past there have been milk crates with wooden bottom slats or boards, and with some metal upon them to serve as a base and extending up on the sides only sufficiently to mount the metal. The base served as a runner, and there was practically little permanent reinforcement of the crate structure.

In our present invention the outside, at least, of the entire bottom slat, as well as the bottom edge thereof is covered With metal. The base of the metal covering is provided with a pocket in which is inserted a solid metal bar. This bar serves as the filling element for the runner portion of the covering, instead of using a projection from the wooden slat, and adds great strength against breakage.

A very great strain is applied to the bottom slats of milk crates, tending to break them between their ends. When the crates are caused to move along a conveyor or slide, the bumps which it receives are applied directly to the bottom slats, and if they crack or break, the crate is ruined.

By our construction we provide a bottom slat which is entirely covered with metal, thus protecting it against being cut or damaged and thus weakened, and are able to corrugate the metal to give it stiiTness as well as form the customers name irremovably by corrugating it into the metal. By the use of the metal bar which fills the runner projection, We obtain a positive beam across the bottom of the slat to protect it from breakage and to stiffen the crate positively against any lateral blow at this point.

By the use of the full face of metal on the outside of the bottom slat or piece, it is practical merely to insert the bottom. bottle sustaining rods into holes in the inside of the crate without the possibility of their being forced through the slat, and without the danger of the usual riveted heads or butts working loose through rotting of the bottom boards, with the result that the rods can come out. Thus it is possible, in case of any breakage due to unusual treat ment to take out a bottom slat and put another in its place, with the rods inserted in suitable holes, which is a simple procedure compared to the task of removing a lot of riveted rods, or rods with rusted on nuts etc.

The metal covering can extend far enough to the ends of the slats to permit of the metal corners on the outside being riveted through the metal covering, if desired, and this is of particular advantage where inside and outside angles are used for re-inforcing the corners of the box and provides a metal to metal structure throughout the bottom corners.

While we have shown the reinforced runner and bottom slat construction on the ends only of a crate, it will be understood that the-same construction can be duplicated for the sides.

We accomplish our objects by a structure of which a typical example will be described, and the invention which is inherent in the structure, will be set forth in the claims that follow, it being understood that in appending a detailed description of our particular embodiment we do it to illustrate the best mode of. use of our invention, and our invention is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:-- 1

Figure 1 is a perspective of a form of crate, which has no significance except as illustrative:

of any milk crate, and to which we have applied our invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the same crate,

at 22, Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of one of the novel bottom slats.

Figure 4 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross section thereof, at 6B, Fig. 4. v

Figure 7 is a perspective of the filler bar.

Figure 8 is a detail showing the impression of a customers initials in the crate bottom slat facing.

In the illustrated crate there are outer corner irons l, and inner corner iron 2, binding together with suitable rivets the side slats 3 and end slats 4 of the structure. Within the crate are a series of rods, crossing each other, in the particular form illustrated, the upper rods being indicated at 5 and the bottom rods at 6. The bottom rods hold the bases of the milk or other bottles to be placed in the crate and the top rods act as par titions between bottles.

Our invention is illustrated in the structure embodied in the end slats of the crate at the bottom. The novel slat, of which we will describe one, has a wooden body portion 1, with its ends 8 of reduced thickness to facilitate forming a corner with the bottom side slats. The slat is otherwise a straight piece of wood rectangular in cross section.

Placed over the slat is a metal facing. This includes a portion 8 which covers the outer face of the slat, and is shown as corrugated at 9, or it may have a customers name made partof the corrugation as indicatedat It, or it may be plain, and have or not have the customers name. Where the customers name is applied it is evisolid metal bar M.

the bottom of the slat as at I3, and thence back I up the other or inner face for such short distance as is necessary, at I311. The portion 13 is madedeep enough to leave a space between the bottom of the slat and the portion or base' I3 of the metal covering, which serves asa pocket to enclose a We have shown and noted that a bar is employed but a suitably corrugated or formed piece could be employed or a combination of the same.

This bar fills out the runner portion, which is provided by the part 13, without it being necessary to cut the wooden body of the slat to provide for this.

The metal at the ends of the portion [3 is bent up into tongues l3b, which enclose the bar pocket at the ends, and are secured to the bottom of the wooden portion of the slat, at I30, as by suitable screws or rivets, which pass up through the underturned portion of the corner irons at I5. This leaves the corner iron bases [5 even with the runner bases [3.

The manner in which the rods in the lower level of the crate are inserted is to set them into holes l6 bored into the wooden portion of the slat where it is exposed within the crate. The rodsare then held when the crate is assembled against slipping out lengthwise, and the nuisance of riveting the ends of the rods or cutting the rods uponreplacement of a marred bottom slat, is done away with.

The slat. faced with metal andreinforced with a metal bar, which does not depend for itsv position on screws or rivets to hold it in.place, gives great strength to the bottom slat .against breaking. Since this is the weak point of a.v crate from a number of points of view, it is apparent that our novel construction greatly adds to strength.

Moreover it is not an expensive construction, and while the extra metal is employed over old constructions, it is easy to make up the structure, and the saving in cost of inserting rods makes up for the extra cost.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure .by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottom slat for crates comprising a wooden member and'a metal plate secured thereto and covering at least the outer face of the slat and the base thereof, and extending also over the top of the slat. r r

2. A bottom slat for crates comprising a wooden member, and a re-inforcing bar of metal arranged alongthe base'of the-slat, and a-metal plate secured-to the wooden member and forming a pocket for the bar. g

, 3.. In a wooden crate formed of wooden members; a bottom slat of the same having a metal facing on its outer side, rods extending through the. crate to form an article support, said rods secured in said bottom slat by beingthrust into holes extending through the same, whereby the metal facing prevents the rods from slipping outwardly.

4. A bottom slat for crates comprising a wooden member and a metal plate secured thereto and covering at least the outer face of the slat and the base thereof, the portion of the metal slat extending across the base of the wooden member arranged as a pocket, and a metal bar lying in said pocket, the lateral ends of the said plate portion having tongues bent toward the wooden portion, whereby to secure the 'metal plate to the bottom of the wooden member and close the ends of the pocket for the metal bar.

5. A bottom slat for crates having a wooden member, and a metal covering therefor having a.

flange turned over at the top of the slat, covering the outer face thereof, projecting below the base thereof to form a runner and thence bent up along the inner face of the-Wooden member, and a metal re-inforcement lying in the space between the runner portion of the slat and the base of the wooden member.

7. In a wooden crate formed of wooden members, a'bottom slat of the same having a metal facing on its outer'side, rods extending through the crate to form an article support, said rods secured in said bottom slatby being thrust into holes extending through the same, whereby the metal facing prevents the rods from slipping outwardly, and outer corner irons for the crate formed of angle shaped metal pieces lapping th metal covering of said bottom slat.

8. In a crate, walls joined, forming corners of the crate, one wall comprising a bottom slat made up of a wooden member and a metal plate lying along and covering most of the outer face and lower edge of the member and engaging said member to reinforce it as a beam above its 7 neutral axis, and metal angle plates covering the corners of the crate and lapping outside and under the end parts of said plate. I

9. In a crate, walls joined, forming corners of the crate, one wall. comprising a bottom slat made up'of a wooden, member and a metal plate lying along the outer face of the member and having a flange under and spaced down from the lower edge of the member, with tongues bent up near the ends of the slat, and metal angle plates secured to the corners of the crate and lapping outside the end parts of said plate and under said tongues.

10. In a crate, walls joined, forming corners of the crate, one wall comprising a bottom slat made up of a wooden member and a metal plate of substantial vertical width lying along the outer face of the member and having reinforcing corrugations formed thereon, terminated short of its ends, leaving uncorrugated end parts .of the plate, and metal angle plates secured to the corners of the crate and lapping outside and under the uncorrugated end parts of said plate.

11. A bottom slat for crates comprising a wooden member, a relatively thin plate lying along theouter face and lower edge of said member and secured thereto, and a relatively thick. metal bar lying along said lower edge of FRED G. KRUEGER, HAROLD S. LION. 

